Stranger Things season 2: everything you need to know

If you're not already counting down the days until the end of October, now would be a good time to start. No, not because it's Halloween and a perfect excuse for eating all the chocolate, but because Stranger Things is back for season two - and by the sound of it, we're in for a trick or treat.

Friday 13th teaser trailer

Ahead of the second Stranger Things series, Netflix released a spooky teaser on Friday 13, which teases 13 second-long shots from the new season, including Chief Hopper seemingly being tortured, Mike cupping his ears and a disturbing hospital scene.

Stranger Things season 2 episode titles

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During a trailer released in August 2016, Stranger Things revealed there would be nine episodes in the next series - one more than in the first - and that it would be set in 1984, one year after the original season.

They initially announced the episodes would be called: 'MadMax', 'The Boy Who Came Back To Life', 'The Pumpkin Patch', 'The Palace', 'The Storm', 'The Pollywog', 'The Secret Cabin', 'The Brain', and 'The Lost Brother'.

Netflix are whetting Stranger Things fans' appetites and keeping the interest alive with their new super cool posters (released September 15), which are a homage to film posters for Firestarter and Jaws from the 80s.

This one was released on July 11 2017, and things look like they're getting a bit apocalyptic for Mike, Will, Lucas and Dustin. OoOOooh.

We officially know that Stranger Things season 3 is happening

Forget season 2 (just kidding, we're very excited), because the creators of the Netflix original just confirmedStranger Things 3 was in the pipeline too.

In a new interview with Vulture, the Duffer brothers said a third season was happening and a fourth was looking likely, before Ross Duffer revealed some minor details about season two, offering that they wanted to "wanted to push things a bit” in the new run.

"I don’t want to call it season two, I just want it to feel like a movie sequel", he explained. "If you have a successful movie, No. 2 is always a little bit bigger.” As for their overall plan for the show, "we’re thinking it will be a four-season thing and then out."

Stranger Things season 2 release date

Although Netflix previously suggested the new series would arrive in full on Halloween aka October 31, 2017, the latest trailer says otherwise. It was posted on the Stranger Things official Twitter page, and cites October 27th as the official release date. Yaaaaas.

What will the Stranger Things season 2 be about?

According to Noah Schnapp, who plays Will, "You can see in the second season how the Upside Down affected Will. He is definitely holding back on what happens to him and keeps everything in." Executive producer and director Shawn Levy added to The Hollywood Reporter:"The Duffers [creators Matt and Ross] and I are slightly superstitious, so it was important to us that we replicate the mojo of season one, which meant the brothers kicked things off with episode one and two and then I do three and four. The first four episodes are exactly like season one." The Duffer brothers revealed that the foreboding Upside Down will play "a major role in the upcoming season", with Matt adding: "The gate to the Upside Down in the last season was not closed, it is still there."

Stranger Things season 2 trailer

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During the Superbowl, the ST season 2 trailer teased more Eggos, more of the Upside Down and more plot twists that you can shake a bicycle bell at. Is that the return of Eleven we spy?

Stranger Things season 2 photos

In anticipation of the October launch, the following five teaser photos were launched online. EEK.

The boys in their Ghostbuster themed Halloween costumes

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Stranger Things season 2 cast: who is returning?

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The good news is all the main kids are returning to our screens. YAAAAS.

Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, Nancy, Steve and Jonathan are back to make Netflix UK a little stranger, after the show's official Facebook page shared a photo of the cast all reading their scripts together. The caption read: "Back in production / see you next year / #strangerthings [sic]"

What do they look like?

Lead hairstylist for Stranger Things season 2 (yes that's really a job role. Sign us up.) Sarah Hindsgaul told Refinery29: "Last year was ’83 and this year is ’84, and they’re still in Hawkins, Indiana — but people are starting to realise there are perms and mullets, so we’re using a lot of wigs this year, because no one wants perms and mullets."

A pretty non-conclusive answer, admittedly, but Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas and Dustin also covered Entertainment Weekly in February 2017, which gave a little bit more of an insight into their new looks.

Are there any new characters?

First off, if you look super closely at the Stranger Things script reading photo, there are actually two extra characters who join the original cast in the shape of Max and Billy, played by Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery.

The Hollywood Reporter say Billy is Max's older step-brother and describe him as “a classic girlfriend-stealing bad boy”, while Max is a young teenager "tomboy with a complicated history and a suspicious streak”.

Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery.

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As for the adult cast? Sean Astin from The Goonies will take on the role of Joyce Byer's new love interest Bob Newb - much to detective Hopper's dissatisfaction. Executive producer Shaun Levy told Games Radar of the new character, "Bob is new to our weird Hawkins group, but he’s immediately memorable and I think people are going to be very surprised by where that takes them this year.

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Paul Reiser has been brought on board as the new resident baddie to replace Dr. Modine - the guy who manipulated Eleven's brain - playing new character Dr. Owens. He told EW: "

"My guy is much more hands-on and sort of among his many degrees is that he has a bedside manner that Modine's character did not have. I know coming into this what this community has gone through and my job is to try and walk them through their mistrust."

L-R - Sean Astin, Brett Gelman and Paul Reiser

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Brett Gelman from Fleabag will play new character Murray Bauman, who Netflix describe as "a disgraced journalist-turned-conspiracy theorist who is investigating a cold case in the small Indiana town".

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Lastly, Netflix also confirmed to EW that Linnea Berthelsen, a Danish actress, will play an “emotionally damaged, magnetic young woman who suffered a great loss as a child" called Roman. They added: "Although she does not live in Hawkins, she is mysteriously connected to the supernatural events at the lab."

When is Stranger Things season 2 set?

Though creator Matt Duffer told IGN he would have "loved" to pick Stranger Things season 2 up right where season 1 left off, it wasn't feasible due to the youngsters growing up so much and changing since filming the first series. Instead, it's set a year later in 1984 - with Charlie Heaton - who plays Jonathan - explaining that you'll barely notice the difference when you're watching. He told ET:

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"You follow these characters a year later, and you’re straight back in the world of Hawkins, which we know and love so well. I don’t think you’re gonna notice. Even though it’s a year, you’re falling straight back into where we left off, in a sense.”

Interestingly, though, Noah Schnapps, who plays Will, said that season 2 will pick up almost immediately from the end of season 1. Hmm. H

"You’ll be seeing more of me. I’ll be there," said Schnapp to Vanity Fair. "In the last episode, I threw up a slug, so Season 2 begins with what happens from there. There may have been some effect on him. I may or may not have turned into a monster. You’ll have to watch to find out."

Any spoilers?

The official synopsis on Netflix reads: "A year after Will’s return, everything seems back to normal… but a darkness lurks just beneath the surface, threatening all of Hawkins."

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It'll be scary

Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike, teased to PEOPLE that Stranger Things 2 will be “a lot darker” and “more horror oriented" than the first series, and that the Demogorgon is nothing in comparison to the new monster. “I think people are going to like it more than the first season,” he says, adding that the characters will deal with more “disturbing” problems this time around.

It'll stray outside of Hawkins - and into the Upside Down - more

Although series 1 sticks almost solely in Hawkins, Indiana, creator Matt Duffer revealed to EW that the next instalment ventures into the Upside Down far more, and outside of the original setting a little more, too. He explained: "We will venture a little bit outside of Hawkins. I will say the opening scene [of the premiere] does not take place in Hawkins.

"[We definitely want to explore [the Upside Down] a little bit more. We really don’t go in there much until they go in to find Will at the end. So we’ve opened up this doorway, and to us it’s exciting to talk about, like, what else is behind there?”

Natalia Dyer, who plays Nancy spoke of the Nancy/Steve/Jonathan conundrum to Dazed, and explained: "It will be interesting to see how relationships have morphed because of what’s happened. I’m sure a lot of people would love to see how she deals with the loss of her friend, Barb. And I’d love to see some good brother-sister moments."

The characters are emotionally scarred from season one

Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin, told PEOPLE about how the next series goes deeper into how the characters have been affected by the first series. He explained:

“The great thing about this season is you get to see insights into each character on their own. You’re going to see a lot more into the lives of how the characters are coping with what’s been going on. … I think they’re all very emotionally scarred. They feel alone, because their best friend [Will] is back and he’s not acting like their best friend anymore. He’s changed.”

Is this the last Stranger Things series ever?

Absolutely not - they're hoping to have at least four or five. Producer Shawn Levy also told SlashFilm: "“The plan is to continue with this set of characters while introducing a few critical key new ones next season.

"So I’ll just say that a lot of the big mysteries get answered at the end of Season 1, but we are very much kind of unearthing new problems and questions that merit future stories and future investigation in the most enjoyable way. So we are in love with our cast and our characters. Things end up being resolved to some extent at the end of Season 1, but not entirely. And that’s why we’re so hopeful we get another few seasons to live with these people a little longer.”

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Is there Justice for Barb?

BUT, the Duffer brothers have promised #JusticeForBarb in a sense, adding to IGN that although they "don’t see [a return] happening", "We’ll make sure there’s some justice for Barb. People get very frustrated, understandably, that the town doesn’t seem to be really dealing with Barb. That stuff is all happening. We’re just not spending any screen time on it.”

“It’s not like her parents are like ‘Oh Barb left. She died!' Season One actually takes place over the course of six or seven days – it’s a really short period of time. So part of what we want to do with hypothetical Season Two is to explore the repercussions of everything that happened.”

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